Friday, 2 August 2013

Daily Cycling Facts 02.08.2013

Daniele Nardello

Daniele Nardello, born in Varese on this day in 1972, won a stage at the Vuelta a Espana in 1996, two stages and overall at the Österreich Rundfahrt in 1997, one stage and eighth place overall at the Tour de France in 1998, one stage at the Vuelta and seventh place overall at the Tour in 1999, tenth place overall at the Tour in 2000 and the National Road Race Championship in 2001. He then continued to record good results until his retirement in 2009.

Manx cyclist Peter Buckley was born on this day in 1944 and won a gold medal for the Road Race at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, then three years later finished the Milk Race (Tour of Britain) in third place overall. That same year, just ten days after his 25th birthday, he was killed in a training ride accident. A new trophy was commissioned in his memory and is presented annually to the winner of the British Junior Road Race Series.

Ángel Arroyo, who was born in El Barraco, Spain on this day in 1956, won Stage 18 and came sixth overall at the 1981 Vuelta a Espana and Stage 15b the following year. In 1983 he won Stage 15 and came second overall at the Tour de France, then won Stage 19 and came sixth overall at the Tour in 1984. He had been a favourite to win the Vuelta in 1982, but was penalised 10' after Stage 17 when he tested postive for Methylphenidate, a psychostimulant drug better known as Ritalin, which ended his chances.

Julien Lootens

Julien Lootens, Samson

Born in Wevelgem on this day in 1876, Julien Lootens managed three podium stage finishes at the first Tour de France in 1903, where he competed under the name Samson - the best being second place behind Charles Laeser (who was Swiss and the first foreigner to win a stage) on Stage 4. This was sufficient to put him into seventh place overall at the end of the race.

In 1904 he came tenth at Paris-Roubaix (he'd been 20th in 1903) and 20th at the Tour. Lootens was a wealthy man, choosing to ride under a pseudonym so that the other riders wouldn't know his real identity and either conspire against him out of jealously or feel that he wasn't "one of the gang." In 1921, at the age of 45, he finished Paris-Brest-Paris in 24th place - in those days, the single-stage race was 1,200km long.

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